The en-suite guest room
constitutes the 'hotel' part of the Central Hotel and
Café

The most recent entry in the guestbook of the Central Hotel and
Café in Copenhagen reads: 'He asked me to marry him at the foot of
the bed and I said yes!'. Looking around the room, I think to
myself, that boy chose well. You see, this is by no means your
standard city-break hotel room. For a start, it's the only room in
the hotel. Tucked away down a quiet backstreet in the bustling,
creative, up-and-coming district of Vesterbro, the Central Hotel
and Café occupies a cute little house dating from 1897. It has a
pitched roof, big windows and a glass porch, underneath which bask
a scattering of tables and chairs. On the ground floor - originally
a shoemaker's shop - there is a friendly little cafe with old tins,
vintage signs, nautical lamps and a gaggle of local stalwarts.
Upstairs, in the 12-square-metre room that the shoemaker added in
1920, is the compact, but cleverly designed guest room and en
suite, with the aforementioned bed positioned underneath a
skylight.

The hotel is the brainchild of Leif Thingtved and his business
partner Jacob Kamp, who run the hugely popular Granola cafe, a
minute's walk away. Leif is a set designer by trade and spent hours
agonising over the room's every detail. The colour scheme is rich
and inviting, with green leafy wallpaper set against highly
varnished timber beams and floorboards. Modern comforts, including
a minibar and flatscreen television, and the wardrobe are all
concealed behind built-in cabinetry. The writing desk has a
swivelling chair originally designed for a British Rail phone booth
and spotted on Ebay - hours can be spent at the window-side table
peering down at the street life below - and the bathroom is
surprisingly roomy. It's a testament to Leif's skill that, despite
being equipped with everything you need, the room feels classic and
tranquil, rather than crowded and too retro. 'I wanted to make a
room where you never feel like you have to leave,' he says.

Yet it would be madness not to venture out. Located off the
tourist trail, this hotel offers the rare opportunity to experience
Copenhagen like a local. Days start with a complimentary breakfast
at Granola, which is on a street nicknamed 'Little Paris' because
of its vibrant atmosphere and kooky boutiques. These include Dora -
an eclectic interiors store, selling both vintage and contemporary
Scandinavian pieces. You can then stroll up to Frederiksberg Park,
once a formally laid out royal garden, or run along the
seven-kilometre path around Copenhagen's gloriously pretty string
of lakes. The high-end fashion boutiques of Gammel Kongevej,
Copenhagen's equivalent of the King's Road, are minutes away while,
every Saturday morning, bargain hunters scour the flea market
behind nearby Frederiksberg town hall.

Copenhagen has also undergone a culinary revolution since Noma,
voted the world's best restaurant, created the Nordic Cuisine
movement. You can try seasonal Danish ingredients prepared in
experimental ways at Pony, a small, inexpensive restaurant run by
the team behind slightly grander Kadeau, or dine at
Michelin-starred Formel B; both are reachable on foot. Grab a
nightcap at a local bar such as Falernum or Lidkoeb, where you'll
be surrounded by ever-so-stylish natives. Leif also provides
complimentary bikes (along with insider tips) allowing guests to
explore Copenhagen from the saddle. Just don't rest your legs at
the end of that bed for too long, unless you're prepared for
surprises.